Part-time Traveller, Full-Time Brummie

The Life of a Photographer's Wife…

It’s 5am.  Not only is it still dark outside but even the birds are still slumbering.  The only people stirring are milkmen and binmen.  Oh, and photographers.
“I’m just popping out for sunrise.  And if there’s no sunrise, there might be frost.  Or fog.”
Yes, the life of a photographer.  Or more to the point, how about the life of a wife of a photographer?  Here are 10 things you will recognise if you are married to a photographer…
photographers-wife

  1. Unless you are married to a portrait photographer, you will never ever appear in your partner’s photographs. Occasionally you might be a silhouette in the distance, or maybe a perfectly manicured hand holding a beautifully formed leaf.  But never the focus.
  1. But occasionally if your partner does ever take your photograph, this will remain at the bottom of a long list of “to-be-edited” photographs. He won’t say that there is no airbrushing or editing tool powerful enough, but it will be implied.
  1. There is no such thing as “just a snap”. Every photo taken is judged on its artistic merit, and discarded if it doesn’t make the grade.
  1. You will spend hours listening to him critique other photographers work
  1. Clouds and light can be a photographer’s best friend or biggest enemy. You will hear endless rants about clouds being “in the wrong place” or it being “the wrong kind of light”
  1. You will become good at meals you can chuck in the slow cooker and leave to warm; that way your partner can still eat after a half hour ramble after work becomes a full on six hour photo session.
  1. You will regularly sit on random camera cleaning equipment strewn around the house
  1. When you do venture out with your partner, you will discover that photographers have an uncanny knack of being able to stand in one place for a seemingly endless amount of time. They will be waiting for the right clouds.  Or the right light (see No.5)
  1. Your partner will lovingly stroke and caress his camera with a hitherto unseen tenderness and delicacy
  1. Random parcels will be delivered to your house. Your partner will excitedly unbox them, only to reveal a filter.  Or SD cards.  Or another bloody piece of camera cleaning equipment which you will sit on

Of course, there are also positives.  Such as:

  1. You also start to recognise the “right light” and the “right clouds”.
  1. If you want some me-time to have a bath/blog/binge-watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Netflix, then you sound terribly supportive when you say “why don’t you go and take your camera out for a while?”
  1. And if you do want to explore the outside world, then you’ll always have a willing partner to join you. And you can always factor in a pub visit at the end.
  1. Your own photography will also improve. You don’t have to have fancy equipment, but it’s great to have someone to show you what you’re doing wrong when all your pictures are fuzzy.
  2. The sheer excitement, joy and pride that you feel when one of your partner’s pictures is displayed somewhere; or when someone asks who the talented photographer is; or when an online image is shared and commented on by complete strangers. And, that’s what makes all of the above worth being a photographer’s wife.

Do you share a household with someone with a passion for photography?  Or do they have another hobby which sometimes drives you a bit crazy?  Let me know in the comments!

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24 responses to “The Life of a Photographer's Wife…”

  1. April Munday says:

    He does take nice photos.

  2. He does. Lovely blog..very enlightening!

  3. Traci York says:

    LOL! As the photographer in the family, I “shutter” to think what my hubby would say to this list. 😀
    Oh, and LOVE Crazy Ex-Girlfriend! Have you finished season 2 yet – no spoilers, but the crazy just gets crazier!

  4. Denzil says:

    Great article. Lovely photos.

  5. […] Askey in collaboration with IgersBirmingham.  Whilst a departure from his normal stuff – where humans don’t usually figure – it was a good chance to try something a bit different.  Check out the instagram hashtag […]

  6. The Bloke is a photographer – I can relate to sooooo much of this!

  7. lol You should change the title to the Wife of a Very Talented Photographers Wife, his pictures are awesome. If that you walking in the distance in the Woodland shot, it’s gorgeous.
    But you’re right in everything you say, when I was still able to go out and take pictures I regularly sat on my own camera equipment lol

  8. Ha ha! I’m no photographer, but I’m a demon with the iPhone, so some of these will resonate with Beloved! lol Sue via #SocialSaturday

  9. Yes I can totally relate to your post. My husband is an avid amateur bird photographer and I know the feeling and stories. Now I know others out there with the same feelings and stories, thought I am alone in this.

  10. Parul Thakur says:

    Ha ha! that was a good one. I am the photographer at home – just an amateur with a phone camera but I wonder what my husband has to say about me 🙂

  11. Talented photographer! Loved this and did tweet it out just now. I am over from Big Up Your Blog!
    Carol
    ahealingspirit.org

  12. Great blog my friend 🙂

  13. […] 2. The Life of a Photographer’s Wife… I’m so proud of Mr Fletche’ s photography, and this has come on leaps and bounds in 2017 with two pictures in the Birmingham We Are charity calendar, an entry in the IgersBirmingham “Best of Birmingham” exhibition and a stunning commendation in the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. Here’s what it’s like being married to a snapper… […]

  14. […] 7. Because I have a wonderful photographer hubby on hand so I can intersperse my dodgy blurred iPhone shots with something a bit more professional. You can read more here about my life as a photographers wife […]

  15. […] We’re making our way south today towards the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. This is the village that’s on the front of every guide book, with it’s colourful luzzu fishing boats popping brightly in front of a cloudless azure blue sky. So when we pull up in a handy harbourfront parking spot we’re a little disappointed to discover that the sky is more of a blank white canvas and the sunshine is struggling to do any more than weakly poke through the clouds. It’s still wonderfully picturesque though, and we spend some time wandering along the promenade, watching fisherman at work (the fisherman equivalent of workplace admin appears to be the hours spent repairing their nets), admiring the crafts at the waterside market and perusing the menus of the many seafood restaurants advertising their catch of the day. Marsaxlokk has more than enough beautiful doors, windows and building facades for Mr Fletche to photograph, making up for the lack of “the right light” over the water. I’ve learned about the importance of “the right light” over my years as a photographers wife. […]

  16. Elisa says:

    I am a photographer’s wife and this is certainly on point! Very beautifully written. Thank you for sharing!

    • emfletche says:

      Thank you Elisa, this is an old post that needs updating but the sentiment remains the same!

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